The late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. PHOTO/FILE NATION
A momentous step towards freedom was made 55 years ago when Kenya celebrated its first Madaraka Day. Even though the country still remained an outpost of the Queen, Africans were responsible for some aspects of the government.
As soon as it became clear that the Kenya African National Union (Kanu) would command a majority in the House of Representatives after winning 64 seats against 32 of the Kenya African Democratic Union (Kadu), the Governor of Kenya, Sir Malcolm Macdonald, invited Jomo Kenyatta to form internal self-government.
In the evening, Mzee Kenyatta visited Government House in the company of Tom Mboya, James Gichuru and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and agreed to do so.
According to previously classified documents seen by the Nation, intrigues marred the formation of the new government as the British, Kadu and the moderates within Kanu conspired to curb Jaramogi’s influence in the new government.
Mzee Kenyatta had already promised to put Jaramogi as minister in charge of the police. The two had not hidden their distrust for white police officers. In anticipation of his new role, Jaramogi had already earmarked Wilson Ndolo Ayah as the Director of Intelligence.
POWERFUL MINISTER
Ayah who later became a powerful minister during the Daniel Moi regime, had assisted Jaramogi in sending Kenyan students abroad behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.
Senior Europeans in the Kenya Police feared the possibility of Jaramogi expediting Africanisation of the Force by flooding it with communist trained Luos and Kikuyus. Some were already threatening to resign if Jaramogi took charge.
According to the documents, as Mzee Kenyatta continued to form his cabinet in secret, Gichuru visited Governor Macdonald at night and told him in confidence that the new government would be reassuring to the Europeans in Kenya and investors abroad except for the inclusion of Jaramogi.
The colonial Governor thought the inclusion of Jaramogi was not a bad idea although he admitted the British were piling pressure on Mzee Kenyatta to appoint him (Jaramogi) to a “powerless” ministry where he could not do “serious damage to Kenya”.
PRIME MINISTER
Desperation, however, kicked in when word leaked that Mzee Kenyatta was about to appoint Jaramogi as Minister for Home Affairs with powers over the regular police, the special branch and immigration.
The Governor unsuccessfully made initial efforts to stop the appointment.
With no other alternative, the colonial Governor invoked a section in the constitution which gave him the powers to assign responsibilities and accordingly transferred the police from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Office of the Prime Minister (Mzee Kenyatta).
With no other alternative, the colonial Governor invoked a section in the constitution which gave him the powers to assign responsibilities and accordingly transferred the police from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Office of the Prime Minister (Mzee Kenyatta).
A statement delegating the responsibility read in part: “In pursuance with the provisions of section 68 of the constitution of Kenya, I assign to the Prime Minister the responsibility for matters relating to the police force subject to the provision of section VIII of the constitution....”
He further assigned to the Prime Minister responsibility for matters relating to Defence and External Affairs .but he admitted doing this in order not to make it obvious that he was targeting Jaramogi.
In another telegram to the British Secretary of State marked secret and personal, the Governor explained: “The police were most unhappy at the prospect of working under him in the Home Ministry, while several Kadu leaders have said privately that his appointment opens the way to the communists. But we have counteracted that by transferring responsibility for Internal Security, etc from the Home Affairs Ministry.”
UNVEILED CABINET
On June 1, 1963, Nairobi was wild with enthusiasm as Mzee Kenyatta unveiled his cabinet in an open air ceremony. Key ministries went to young Africans who were appointed for their abilities and ethnic backgrounds: four Luos, four Kikuyus and five from smaller tribes. Jaramogi was appointed to the powerful docket of Home Affairs but was surprised to learn that the Governor had curtailed some of his powers.
Fuming with anger, he went to see the colonial Governor and threatened to resign. The Governor explained to him that the action was not personally directed at Jaramogi but was taken because it would be convenient to deal with only the Prime Minister on all matters touching on Defence and Security. Jaramogi was not convinced but promised to think about it.
The Governor would later send a telegram to London expressing fear that Jaramogi was likely to resign.
Jaramogi only calmed down after Mzee Kenyatta promised to delegate to him Internal Security and Defence before the end of that year.
Jaramogi only calmed down after Mzee Kenyatta promised to delegate to him Internal Security and Defence before the end of that year.
However, the British, who were looking to protect their interests in independent Kenya, were equally determined to block any future attempts to place security forces under Jaramogi because of his Communist ties.
TRUE STRENGTH
As captured in Governor MacDonald’s letter which stated: “It will be difficult to make a firm estimate of the true strength or weakness of his influence in the Cabinet until we see how things work out in practice over the next few weeks,” the British considered Jaramogi a threat so long as he remained in the Government, and therefore, he had to be monitored consistently.
It was not the first time the British were frustrating efforts to appoint Jaramogi to the cabinet. In 1962 during the formation of Kadu/Kanu coalition government in London, the Colonial Secretary under pressure from Tory backbenchers rejected Jaramogi’s appointment to the cabinet when Mzee Kenyatta submitted his name as Minister for Finance.
After their return from London, Mzee Kenyatta told a rally in Naivasha that despite being labelled a bad man by the British, Jaramogi would be the first person to get a powerful position in his cabinet when he became the Prime Minister, and it seems he kept this promise on Madaraka day June 1 1963 despite things not going entirely according to plan.
The writer is a journalist and researcher based in London
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